Filling-end-clearing means for looms.



A. E. STAFFORD.

FILLING END CLEARING MEANS FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22. ISIS.

L,221,385. Patented Apr. 3,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

'HQLBHKOF. SM'(p itsfsas N x AFFred ESIaFFord,

Mi Auy A. E. STAFFORD.

FlLLING END CLEARING MEANS FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 1915.

1,221,385. Patented ApL'S, 1917s 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2. Flgfi.

inventor.

so 63 AFredEES-Iuffard, m as hm "VIM A. E. STAFFORD FILLING END CL L. i|NG MEANS FOR LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22,19l5.

Patented 'Apr. 3, 1917.

HEET HEET 3 Witnesses; lnvenior. /M7ML AWred ESTafford,

b MWkW 40 l backward through the shuttle eye by the BEST AVAILABLE COP UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED E. STAFFORD, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESN E ASSIGN- MENTS, T0 DRAPER CORPORATION, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORA- TION. or MAINE.

FILLING-END-CLEARING MEANS FOR LOOMS.

r Specificationof Letters Patent.

- Application filed January 22, 1915. Serial No. 3,697.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALFRED E. STAFFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hopedale, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts have invented an Improveinent in Filling-End-Clearing Means for Looms, o f'which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to automatic filling replenishing looms of the type wherein the filling, in the working shuttle is replenished by the insertion of a filling When as is usual the filling is parted adjacent the selvage by the device known as a. temple thread cutter, and also near the end of the shuttle by a parting means usually connected with the shuttle feeler, there is left a loose end of filling extending from the filling carrier in the shuttle out through the shuttle eye and beyond the eye for several inches. When the filling carrier is ejected this end must be drawn backward and out of the eye in order to clear the shuttle. Considerable difficulty is experienced with this loose end of filling. Frequently this loose end instead of being drawn ejected filling carrier will break oil and when the new filling carri r is inserted and the shuttle picked across the lay this loose end is caught by the fresh filling and carried into the goods and woven in causing an imperfection.

These difiicultics were recognized and sought to be remedied inwthe "patent to Rhoades No. 1.047348 granted December 17, 1912, and therein provision was made for parting the filling adjacent the shuttle-eye thus leaving but a very short end extending to the filling carrier to be ejected so that the filling is readily drawn back through the shnttleseye upon replenishment taking place. p

The present invention retains the use of a mechanism for parting the filling at a point sufficiently adjacent the shuttle-eye so that the filling end is readily withdrawn through the eye upon replenishment taking place, but eliminates any means for parting the thread between this point and the temple tion of the filling end into the field of operation of the temple thread cutter when the filling end is cleared.

These and other objects of the invention will appear more fully from the accompanying description and drawings and will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a su'l'licient portion of an automatic filling replenishing loom having a preferred form of the present invention applied thereto, the hopper or feeder which contains the supply of fresh filling carriers being shown broken away to disclose the mechanism for parting the filling;

Fig. 2 is a view in vertical cross section of the loom, with such parts as are necessary to a, disclosure of the invention alone being shown, taken to the right of the temple thread cutter looking toward the right hand loom side;

Fig. 3 a detail in side elevation of the filling seizing device;

Fig. l is a view of so much of the loom as is necessary to disclose the filling parting Patented Apr. 3, 1917.,

'in means for insuring the proper presentamechanism taken in vertical section to the right of the said mechanism and looking toward the right hand loom side;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view partially in horizontal cross section and on a larger scale of the filling parting mechanism and front shuttle box plate;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation partially in vertical cross-section of the construction shown in Fig. 5.

The general construction of the loom illustrated is that of the well known Northroptype of automatic filling replenishing loom and it will, therefore, only be necessary to describe in detail those parts and their operation having particularly to do with the present invention.

The right hand loom side 1 is shown with the breast beam 2. The lay sword 3, carrying the lay 4 and the usual parts connected therewith, has at each end the usual shuttle boxes one of which. namely, that in which replenishment of filling takes place is shown at 5 including the usual front box plate 6. The usual cam shaft 7 and controller rock shaft 8 are mounted and operated as usual.

The hopper stand 9 is shown carrying the hopper or feeder the base of which 10 with the pockets 11 for receiving the filling carrier or bobbin butts is shown. The transferrer arm 12 by which the filling carriers are transferred from the hopper 10 to the shuttle in the box 5 upon the call for filling replenishment is pivoted at 13 in a bracket 14 forming a part of the hopper stand, and is controlled and operated in the usual mam ner. For this purpose a dog 15 is pivoted to the depending arm 16 of the transferrer and at the proper time this dog is swun upwardly into the path of a hunter 1 mounted on the lay so that as the lay heats up the transferrer is operated to transfer a filling carrier from the hopper into the boxed shuttle and eject or discharge the spent filling carrier in the shuttle.

In order that the transferring mechanism may not operate if the shuttle is improperly boxed at the transfer end of the loom a shuttle feeler is usually provided which serves to prevent the operation of the transfer mechanism in such case. Such a shuttle feeler 18 is fulcrumed at 19 on a bracket 20 extending from the loom frame and has a swinging movement toward and from the lay. The shuttle feeler has connected with itat 21 a cam slotted arm 22 which engages a pin 23 on the "dog 15. Upon the call for filling replenishment the controller rock shaft Sis rocked in the nasal manner and thearm 24 is raised swinging the shuttle feeler rearward against the action of the spring 25. If the shuttle is properly boxed the, nose of the shuttle feeler clears the end of the shuttle and the dog 15 is raised by the connections described into the path of the hunter 17. If, however, the shuttle is improperly boxed the nose of the feeler comes into engagement with the shuttle and the dog is not raised into the path of the hunter, and hence no transfer of a filling carrier takes place.

A common form 26 of temple thread cutter is shown carried by the temple .27 and acts to sever the filling close to the selvage of the cloth.

The mechanism thus far described is all of a well known and familiar character in looms of this type.

In order to secure the advantages of this invention it is necessary that the trailing filling extending from the cloth to the filling carrier in the boxed shuttle and ready for ejection from the loom shall be severed or parted at a point sufficiently adjacent the shuttle eye so that the filling end is readily withdrawn through the eye upon replenishlnent taking place. The particular mechanism for securing the parting of the filling at this point is not material to the present invention and there is accordingly illustrated herein a preferred form of mechanism to the details of which no claim is made as .a part of this invention. This thread parting mechanism is shown in detail in Figs. 5 and (5 of the drawing.

The thread parting mechanism is carried in a box or casing 28 bolted at 29 to the front wall plate 6 of the shuttle-box 5 and projects forwardly therefrom, as shown in Fig. 4. The wall plate 6 is grooved longitudinally at 30 and is apcrtured at 31. The shuttle one wall of which is shown at 32, has a corresponding longitudinal groove 33 on its exterior and is apertured or recessed at 34 at a point near the shuttleeye so that when it is boxed ready for transfer the apertures 31 and 34 will be in' alinement and the trailing filling will lie. in the ocket formed by the opposing grooves 30 and 33. The thread parting means is then actuated to enter the alined apertures 31 and 34 and sever the filling lying in the pocket.

A carriage 35 depends from and is mounted to slide in ways 36 formed at the top of the casing 28 and this carriage has a movement in the said ways toward and A pair of shearing from the shuttle box. blades is connected to the carriage. One blade 37 is rigid therewith and projects rearwardly therefrom while the other 38 is pivotally mounted at 39 thereon. The pivoted blade 38 has depending at its, forward end a block 40 in the lower end of which is fulcrumed at 41 an n wardly projecting lever 42 normally held by a spring 43 against a stop 44 secured to or integral with the blade 38. A pin 45 secured in the casing 28 projects into the path of the upper end of the lever 42. A compression spring 46 connects the block 40 and a depending portion of the carriage 35 and acts normally to maintain the pivoted blade 38 in closed. position as shown in Fig. 6. The carriage 35 is normally drawn toward the front ofthe loom by a tension spring 47 and is limited in this movement by the engagement .of an adjustable vpin 48 'nuninted in the, carriage contacting with a stop silo the transferrer arni-support and is backed by a spring 54 so as to give way oryield slightly if necessary after the carriage 35 has reached its rearwardlimit of move-. ment. i

The dog 50 when the lay heats up moves normally in a path which carries it be-- neath the hunter 53 and is held by a spring 55 against the adjustable stop pin 52 so that there is no actuation of the parting means.

The dog 15 of the transferrer operating mechanism is provided with an extension 56 carrying a pin or roller 57 projecting laterally beneath the path of thedog 50 and the dog 50in its normal movement passes between the roller 57 and the hunter 53. Upon the call for filling replenishment, however, the transferrer dog 15 is raised so that as the dog 50 comes forward on the beat up the roller 57 raises it into the path of the hunter 53 which in the preferred form is sharpened at its effective end to engage a notch in the effective end of the dog, and thereupon the dog 50 moves rear-. wardly with relation to the casing 28 carryingwith it the carriage and the supported shearing blades. As thecarriagc 35 moves rearwardly the upper end of. the lever 42 comes into engagement with the pin 4:5 thus raising the rearward end of the movable blade 38 and the fixed blade thus passes beneath and the movable blade above the filling lying in the pocket formed by the grooves 30 and 33. On the continued movement of the parts the end of the lever 42 rides under and to the rear of the pin 45 and the spring 6 acts ,to close the mov able blade upon the fixed blade thus parting the filling. As the lay swings rearwardly' the carriage 35 moves forward under the influence of the spring 47 and the spring-l3 allows the lever 42 to snap back beneath the )in 45 without operating the blade 33 to bring the parts agaiirto the positirm'shown in Figs. 5 and 6. I

ly the partingmoans thus.desciibedor by any other suitable fdrm of. mcans f'or BEST AVAlLABLE cos parting the filling of the filling carrier to' be abandoned adjacent the eye of the shuttle a long trailing end is left extending from the clothand this end must be cleared or removed to such a position that there will be no danger of its being entangled with the fresh filling or with the moving parts of the loom so as to be carried back and woven into the shed, and it must also be brought the temple thread cutter. These results are I with accuracy into the field of operation of secured by this invention, a preferred form of which is illustrated and will now be described.

Means are fprovided for loosely seizing this trailing l ling end, at a point somewhere midway between its severed end and i the cloth, immediately upon its severance l and carrying it forwardly to a position n the preferred embodiment shown, mounted up the usual shut le feeler therewhere it will be out of danger: These means by avoiding multiplication 0 parts.

In the form shown the nose of theshuttle' i feeler is slotted at 58 and the nose above and below the slot is beveled off as shown at 59 to aid in directing the filling into the slot. 'A fixed blade 60 is secured at one,

.side of'the shuttle, feeler and a movable blade 61 is mounted between the fixed blade 60 and the body of the shuttle feeler-upon a pivot 62 while a spring washer 63 serves to maintain the parts in frictional engagement. The movable blade 61 at its rearward end is hook-shaped as shown so that when it is swung downwardly it will close-- over the rearward end of the slot 58 and retain the filling loosely in the forward end of the slot. This movable blade 61 is pro-' pin 65 comes into contact with the switch cam 66 the blade is thrown into open position shown in Fig. 3, and if the shuttle is properly boxed the filling is guided into the slot 58 and as the lay finishes the beat up it contacts with the tail 64 of the blade 61 closing the blade and the filling end is thus retained. loosely in the forward end of the slot 58. The shuttle feeler immediately upon transfer taking place and the severance or already described returns forwardly to the filling end and the pin 65 passing the switch cam 66 is not affected thereby. 1

A supporting bar 68is mounted at 691m. the breast. beam or frame work of the loom,

projects rearwardly and enters a groove or recess formed in the lay beneath the raceway. This bar is serrated at its up er edge at 71 with the serrations pointin orwardly. The filling end as it is carrie forwardly by the seizing means rides on this supporting bar and is caught and held by the serrations 71 and is thus again supported between the seizing means and the cloth.

Directly beneath the point at which the filling is supported on the bar 71 and beneath the path of the lay is located a thread adherent means herein shown as a piece of card clothing 72 secured to the face of a projection 73 from the bracket 20. A device is provided to seize the filling between the points at which it is supported by the serrated bar 68 and the seizing means on the shuttle feeler and carry it down into contact with the thread adherent device 7 2 thus withdrawing the end from between the shut tie and the wall of the shuttle box, and at the same time holding the filling taut and bringing it positively into the field of operation of the temple thread cutter 26. This device is shown as a serrated arm 74 extending between the serrated bar 71 and the shuttle feeler and directly over the adherent device 72 and in its idle position above the path of the lay. This arm 74 is mounted upon and carried by a vertically reciprocating bar 7 5 sliding in apertured brackets 76 secured to the loom side or frame of the loom. At its lower end the bar is connected by a link 77 with a slotted end of a lever 78 fulcrumed at 79 on the loom frame and provided with a roller 80 riding in a groove 81 in the face of a cam 82 secured to the cam shaft 7. Immediately the filling end is carried forwardly on the serrated bar 68 by the seizing means the serrated arm 74 is moved d "nwardly through the action of the mecha in shown rearing the filling through the seizing means on the shuttle feeler and out from between the shuttle and the shuttle box wall, and carrying the filling down. into engagement with the adherent device 72, and the arm 74 remains in this position below the path of the lay until after the beat-up. The filling end is thus cleared and is held in engagement and adheres to the adherent device 72. The filling-end is thus also held in proper position to bring it in the field of operation of the temple thread cutter. Furthermore, the run of the filling extending from the serrated bar 68 down to the adherent device 7 2 is in the path of the face of the lay so that as the lay heats up it con tacts therewith and thus produces a slight tension on the filling extending to the cloth still further insuring its proper presentation of the temple thread cutter and its severance thereby.

Having fully described my invention,

what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an automatic weft replenishin loom, a hopper containing a supply of fres 1 filling carriers, means actuated upon the call for filling replenishment to transfer a filling carrier from the hopper to the boxed shuttle and discharge therefrom the spent filling carrier, a temple thread cutter, means to part the trailin filling of the fillin carrier to be discharge adjacent the shutt e eye, a filling support, and means to seize the trailing fillin midway the temple thread cutter and the s uttle-eye and draw it forward and then downward over the filling support and hold it distended from the cloth and in the field of operation of the temple thread cutter.

2. In an automatic filling replenishing loom, a temple thread cutter, filling parting means located adjacent the eye of the shut-- tle when in position for filling transfer, means located betweenthe said temple thread cutter and filling parting means acting to seize the trailing filling and carry it forward, a serrated filling support located between the temple thread cutter and said seizing means, and means acting between said support and said seizingmeans to carr the filling end downwardl and hold it distended from the temple tiread cutter over the said support and in the path of the lay whereby when the lay beats up a slight tension is placed upon the filling end extending from the fell.

3. In an automatic filling replenishing loom, a temple thread cutter, a shuttle feeler, filling seizing means mounted on the shuttle feeler, a serrated supporting bar mounted on the breast beam and projeotin rearwardly beneath the raceway, a thread adherent device located forward of the temple thread cutter below the path of the lay below the supporting bar and on the side thereof opposite the temple thread cutter,

and a serrated carrying member movable from a position above the supporting bar downward to said adherent member, and means for causing the actuation of the said mechanism upon the call for fillin replenishment whereby the trailing fill in end from the ejected filling carrier is seized, carried back on said supporting bar and then carried downwardly into engagement with the said thread adherent device and thus held extending from the fell in the field of operation of the temple thread cutterand out of danger from being drawn back and woven into the shed.

4. In an automatic weft replenishim loom, a hopper containing a supply of fres filling carriers, means actuated upon the call for filling replenishment to transfer a filling carrier from the hopper to the boxed shuttle and discharge therefrom the spent filling carrier, a temple thread cutter, means eye, a filling support, and means *bperated .upon'transfer taking place to seize the trailnearest o part the trailing'filliilig of the filling carrier to be discharged acent the shuttle ing filling midway the temple thread cutter and the shuttle-eye and draw it forward and then downward over the filling support and hold it distended-from the cloth and in the field of operation of the temple thread cutter.

5. In an automatic filling replenishing I loom, a swinging shuttle feeler governed by the replenishing mechanism and provided with a slotted nose to receive the filling, a blade with a ooked end adapted when swung into closed position to close the slot in the noseand loosely retainthe filling, means to move ivoted on the'feeler and provided 'the shuttle feeler into operative position prior to a change of fillingthereby to position the nose to receive the filling of the.

filling carrier to be ejected, and means to move the pivoted blade into closed position upon-transfer taking place whereby upon the return of the shuttle feeler to normal position the filling loosely retained in the nose is carried forward out of danger from beihg drawn back and woven into the shed.

6. In an automatic filling replenishing loom, a swinging shuttle feeler governed by the replenishing mechanism and provided with a slotted nose to receive the filling, a blade pivoted on the feeler and provided with a hooked end adapted when swun .into closed position to close the slot in the nose and loosely retain the filling, means to move theshuttle feeler into operative position prior to a change of filling thereby to position the nose. to receive the filling of r the filling carrier to be ejected, and means pivoted blade into closed posi- 7 ,tion upon transfer taking place whereby to' move the upon the return of the shuttle feeler to normal position the filling loosely retained in the nose is carried forward out of danger from being drawn'back and woven into the V shed, and means for automatically turning said pivoted blade to open position upon the rearward movement of the shuttle feeler.

7. In an automatic filling replenishing loom, a temple thread cutter, filling parting means, asupporting bar mounted on the breast beam and projecting rearwardly beneath the raceway, a thread adherent device located forward of the temple thread cutter,

name to this specification, in. the presence of two subscribing .witnesses.

ALFRED E. STAFFORD. lVitnesses:

S. FRED SMITH, DANA Oseoon. 

